


Wellspring

by mouthfulofbees (dog_fish)



Series: on the mighty riverbank [1]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Ancient Egypt, M/M, Memory World, Tags and Warnings will be updated as needed, characters are nebulously older than canon I think, since I’m not sure exactly how things will turn out, yami marik referred to as kek
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-09
Updated: 2020-02-09
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:08:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22638166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dog_fish/pseuds/mouthfulofbees
Summary: Sand, strange meetings, and secrets galore.
Relationships: Thief King Bakura & Yami Marik
Series: on the mighty riverbank [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1628503
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	Wellspring

**Author's Note:**

> HEY IM ALIVE and I got into the school I applied for YEAH!!
> 
> This’ll technically be my third WIP, and I will try to keep to a regular update schedule in between classes! Ten chapters is just a general guideline, tho I’ve got all the plot threads mostly hammered out. This is going to be a four or five part fic series in chronological order and set in AE
> 
> This au owes a lot to the awesome ancient egypt fics out there, especially the ones by [lightningpelt](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lightningpelt/pseuds/Lightningpelt), [sadistikitteh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SadistiKitteh/pseuds/SadistiKitteh), and [wildcranberry](https://archiveofourown.org/users/wildcranberry/pseuds/wildcranberry). Thank u all for your amazing writing <33 another thank you to the kind and awesome yugioh communities on tumblr and discord!
> 
> There will definitely be a lot of close platonic pairings, and for romantic ones I’m tentatively aiming for gemshipping, blindshipping, and any that pop out to me as the story progresses, especially among the thief-ishtar group. 
> 
> will try to post info and fic updates on [my tumblr](https://mouthful-of-bees.tumblr.com/) under the tag “OTMR fic posts”

The wind was hissing over the sands so loudly that Kek would’ve missed the footsteps if Bakura hadn’t gone still. 

He stopped and strained his ears as he shifted his stance from _sneak_ to _fight_. If the two of them were caught now, the sound of a struggle could draw every guard in the city. Their plan had been simple: _don’t get caught_. 

Trailing his fingers over the worn hilt of his knife, Kek thought of screams and blood and felt a tiny, tiny thrill.

Bakura was still frozen, eyes trained on the pillars at the front of the temple. They were standing in darkness, the only light coming from the predawn sky outside and the tiny pricks of fire in the brazier coals. At this hour, a sleepy guard might not even notice they were there. Kek let himself ease slightly.

Then the light outside took on a tinge of orange. Torches.

Kek’s thieving partner spun around and they exchanged looks. Neither of them spoke but the words were obvious. _Shift change. Fuck._

He gripped his long knife in preparation. No crook he knew liked this part of the job. Breakfast would be late, and he might get brutally murdered. 

**-** ** _hey. are you awake?_ ** **-**

A quiet _thump_ off to the side shattered his concentration. He spun around even as Bakura twitched and flung himself toward it like a ghost. Kek tensed, instincts setting off alarm bells when his partner slowed to a stop.

A groggy thought nudged the back of his mind. _-kek? what’s wrong?-_

 **_-i...don’t know_** **-**

A coil of rope had hit the ground by the wall. It led up to the shadowy ceiling, where Kek could just make out a pair of eyes glinting down at them. He stared in genuine disbelief.

The light shifted. A cloth-wrapped figure had somehow braced themself on the ceiling between two pillars, the other end of the rope wrapped securely around their spindly arm. They tilted their head toward the entrance and looked back at them curiously.

Bakura wasn’t moving. The torches were getting closer.

- _don’t get killed, dammit!_ -

The words spurred him into action, and he swept past his friend. The dark figure hauled on the rope as Kek climbed as fast as he could, his blade shoved between his teeth. He grabbed the figure’s shaking shoulder and clambered over to what turned out to be a ledge open to the outside air.

A faint hiss of breath had him glancing back to see Bakura clasping hands with the figure to pull himself nimbly up, his robe brushing their side as he slipped past. The space on top of the wall was long, but narrow enough that they had to crowd together as the figure hurriedly coiled the rest of the rope.

Leather soles slapped the floor of the temple and all three of them flattened themselves against the ledge. 

- _kek_ _?!_ -

The other two were focused on the temple floor so Kek let his eyes trail to the stranger pressed awkwardly against his legs. Frayed cloth strips covered their hands and feet and a linen wrap was wound around their head. They had a bony frame with the type of gangliness that spoke of too little food for too long.

 **-** **_we’re okay. and i think we’ve just made ourselves a new friend-_ **

_-what?-_

The figure fidgeted as voices murmured below. Bakura glared at the floor and pressed a hand flat against their shoulder.

They flinched _hard_ , shoving themselves back and losing their grip on the rope. The line uncoiled with a _whoosh_. Kek sat there and watched it fall directly onto the helmet of one of the guards. Shouts broke out, and the man jerked his gaze up furiously.

Yes, breakfast would be late today.

Their cloth-wrapped friend scrambled toward the outside, feet scraping on the grit. Bakura cursed and followed them, yanking on Kek’s shoulder, and he obediently sheathed his knife and crawled after. 

The sky was getting lighter with sunrise. He caught up with Bakura, who was staring down the outside wall, and Kek’s mind raced. The sand was soft but not nearly enough to cushion their fall from this height. They could go back inside and use the pillars to climb down, if the guards didn’t spear them first—

The figure made an aborted motion several feet away, and then turned their face to Kek and Bakura. Despite himself, Kek took his eyes off the ground and the two of them looked at each other. The stranger only held his gaze for a bare second and seemed to come to a decision.

They fumbled at their waist and unraveled a new rope Kek hadn’t even noticed. The line was thrust into Kek’s hands right before they bodily shoved him off the wall.

He hissed, scrambled to get a grip. More voices were approaching. No time left.

The rope ran out and the sand hit his feet. He stumbled and then Bakura was there, dropping down as quietly as he did everything else.

No time, no time. They ran.

* * *

**_-i’m alive-_ **

- _good_ -

Kek thought he could make out a tinge of relief in Malik’s quiet words. He smiled.

- _what were you saying about a new friend?_ -

**_-a stranger helped. they stayed behind-_ **

He wrapped up their supplies as Bakura moved around the tiny riverside camp, almost stomping. Kek glanced at him out of the corner of his eye.

**_-i think they might be dead now-_ **

- _hmm_ -

He tied the last line and tested the bundle. It would be a terrible pillow, but he’d have to make do. 

His friend let out a weary curse and finally flopped down next to him. “Who the hell was that?”

Kek rested his back against the stone outcrop and shrugged a shoulder. “I’ve never seen them before. Or heard of a thief who likes ceilings.”

Bakura huffed, and Kek eyed him. It wasn’t like the thief to get so incensed about a successful mission. They’d gone in quietly and left with their latest bribe material — _without_ getting stabbed. Someone had been lurking around the area, yes, but it wasn’t like they hadn’t met other thieves before. The trade was getting pretty popular these days.

“They didn’t come with us.” Bakura glowered through the stones at the river, currently empty of boats.

“Yeah,” Kek murmured, for lack of anything better to say. “They did make it up to the ceiling in the first place. Do you-“

He almost fell over when Bakura shot to his feet. His friend’s hand flickered in a gesture, and Kek froze. _Someone else is here_. 

He stood up carefully, rolling his shoulders. Bakura produced a knife from one of his endless pockets and slipped around the stone that formed one side of their camp. Kek went the other way, sweeping his eyes over the rock-studded riverbank. He didn’t have to search long before he heard rustling, and someone hopped up onto a stone to look directly at him.

It was their friend from the temple, looking no worse for wear. They regarded him solemnly.

“Bakura,” Kek called, keeping his eyes on the stranger. They shuffled and leaned back on their heels, but didn’t run.

Bakura appeared hurriedly from around another stone. He froze in surprise.

He and Kek waited, but the figure seemed content to watch them carefully. The silence stretched until it looked like neither Bakura nor the stranger would make any move at all.

“So,” Kek said dryly, surprising Bakura into growling at him. The figure shifted uncomfortably, and the thief stopped. He loosened his stance and held his hands up, glaring at Kek out of the corner of his eye. Kek shrugged back. “So,” he said again. The stranger listened warily. “Thanks for the help back there. Bakura was wondering about you.” 

“ _Kek._ ” Bakura grouched. Kek ignored him cheerfully.

“D’you always lurk around on the ceiling?” He asked with genuine curiosity. The newcomer was giving him the same baffled stare Kek tended to get from people. Bakura sent Kek another glare and turned away with deliberate calm.

“We have food if you’re hungry,” he called gruffly, and hooked a hand in Kek’s shirt. “It’s really the least we can do.” Carefully nonchalant, he pulled them both along. _Like luring a cat_ , the thief had said once. _You can’t look like you’re drawing someone in or they’ll get suspicious_.

The stranger was waiting for them on another rock when they reached camp. Bakura ignored them, heading over to his pack and pulling out dry bread and meat. He handed Kek his share and tossed a chunk of bread up to the stranger.

 _Don’t underestimate the effect of sharing a meal_. Kek bit into his food and rolled his eyes at Bakura as the thief flopped down next to him.

“I never caught your name,” Bakura said. The stranger glanced at him and went back to studying the bread in his hand. “You already know mine and Kek’s,” he said, jerking his chin at his companion. Kek waved a greeting, still chewing. 

Again, the stranger glanced at them, then back at the food. Kek felt his friend’s hand nudge his hip, so he eased his shoulders and relaxed back against the rock.

In one final, decisive movement, the stranger settled into a cross-legged sit and pulled the cloth down from their face. They looked like a young man around Kek’s own age. He had a bony face and a sharp nose, and he tentatively bit into his bread as he studied them. His eyes were light gray, like the fog on the Nile at dawn.

“There are drinks too, if you’d like water without river mud,” Bakura said airily. “We brought an extra canteen to clean our wounds, but we won’t need it now.” Kek sighed. It was hard to tell if Bakura was trying to _recruit_ the stranger or _flirt_ with him. Apparently this wall-climber had made an impression on the Thief King.

The young man just ate quietly, and something occurred to Kek. “Do you talk?” he asked. He got his answer when their guest shook his head, shifting his gaze between Kek’s face and Bakura’s. “Why not?”

Bakura gave him a sardonic look. The stranger, of course, didn’t reply. He didn’t make any hand signs like a mute person might. Was he arrogant, or just shy? It was hard to be on edge when Bakura turned on the charm.

Losing interest, Kek went back to his meal. 

**-** **_how’s breakfast?-_ **

It took a moment for Malik to reply.

- _busy. people over here have been more anxious than usual. i don’t know why-_

 **-** **_sounds interesting. where do you live again?_ ** **-**

- _yeah, yeah, nice try_ -

Kek huffed. Everyone around him was far too obsessed with secrets. It was annoying, and making a contract in this line of work took forever when people were afraid to say what they _actually_ wanted. 

He briefly considered the merits of just ditching the subterfuge and becoming an onion farmer. Onions wouldn’t lie to him.

Shifting, he let his mind turn to business, trusting Bakura to keep an eye on their guest. They’d have time for a short nap before they had to be on the move in order to meet up with the loose circle of outlaws that collected around the Thief King. 

The treasure they’d stolen this morning would be good for the bribe Bakura had been aiming for, though he’d probably ask Kek to tag along in case the situation turned ugly. The thief eating bread next to him was famous among people both inside and outside the law, but that didn’t mean no one would try anything. The status someone would achieve by defeating a local legend was a huge incentive. Kek felt a curl of protective anger but forced it away.

- _i think something’s bothering my sister-_ Malik commented.

 **-** **_oh?-_ **

- _she was distracted yesterday. it’s kind of unnerving-_

 **-** **_you should ask her-_ **

- _she’s not going to tell me anything, kek-_

Kek took an huffy gulp of water. **_-just ask her-_ **

- _no-_ Malik said shortly. _-how’s the weather today?-_

Kek finished eating and brushed crumbs off his lap. **_-hot and sunny, like usual. why do you always ask?-_ **

_-no reason-_

Malik always answered that question vaguely. It was strange. Malik was usually strange, though.

**_-i still think you should talk to your sister-_ **

_-dammit, kek, just_

Kek was jerked back to reality the moment Bakura gripped his wrist _hard_. He sat up straight, blinking around for the threat, before he saw what Bakura was staring at. 

Their guest had pushed off the cloth covering his head, revealing hair the same bone-white shade as Bakura’s.

His friend squeezed his arm. Kek couldn’t see his face from this angle. He tried placing his free hand on Bakura’s and was glad when the thief relaxed ever so slightly.

With obvious relief, stranger shook a few strands loose from the tight knot at the back of his head. He wiped sweat off his forehead, looked at Bakura, and froze like a spooked cat.

It was like a repeat of their earlier meeting, only this time Kek didn’t know how to break the silence. He looked back and forth between two heads of white hair.

**_-malik?-_ **

_-i — kek? what is it?-_

**_-i don’t know what to do-_ **

The young man’s eyebrows pulled together and he began to draw back.

“Who are you.” Bakura almost snapped. Fingers twitched, and the other man angled his sharp shoulders back the way he’d come. He looked ready to fly away with one jump.

_-do what you usually do.-_

**_-what?-_ **

_-catch someone off guard-_

“You look like a seagull sitting up there.” Kek blurted, and everyone stopped in surprise. Including himself. 

Bakura twisted around to stare at him. Kek’s best friend and the legendary king of thieves looked like he was trying to decide if he wanted to drown Kek in the river, or just drown himself. The silence stretched painfully onward.

The stranger made an odd choking sound, coughed, and then he was covering his mouth as he let out rusty-sounding breaths. He was _laughing_ , Kek realized. Grinning, he nudged Bakura, who now looked like he didn’t know what to do with _either_ of them.

Those raspy huffs faded and the stranger stood up from his seat on the rock. He still looked wary, but not as painfully tense as he gave them an awkward little wave and turned away. With his sun-bleached clothes, thin hair, and skinny face, the young man really did look like some kind of gull, Kek mused. He moved like he could spring into the air at any moment.

“Leaving already?“ Bakura’s voice was dry but held a hint of apology. Kek squeezed his friend’s hand harder. The thief was very still.

The stranger glanced at them for a bare second before he was gone. A shuffle on the rocks, and then they were alone.

Silence. Then, “I’m not gonna chase him all the way back to the _city_ , Kek. Let go.”

Kek released him. “I wonder if we’ll see him around.”

“Who knows?” his friend growled. His hand rose almost absently to brush his famous hair as he glared at the stone the man had perched on. It was worn smooth from the wind, but there were still shallow dips and crevices in the surface. They might serve as handholds, if you were clever and had nimble fingers.

_-so how’d your mysterious situation turn out?-_

His mouth quirked in another smile as he lay down and pillowed his head on his pack. Bakura stared in the direction where their guest had disappeared, eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

**_-i think we nailed this one-_ **

* * *

The two of them met up with the other thieves by noon.

Bakura didn’t actually _pay_ his network of criminals and runaways unless they were on a job, but there were always more than a few that stuck around. There was a strange, grand magnetism to the Thief King, something in his demeanor that said _danger_ and _listen_. 

Even without the promise of money, it was hard for the rest to stay away.

The moment Bakura stepped into the makeshift camp, all eyes were on him. Kek could see the change instantly; Bakura became a little sharper, louder, a little less _Bakura_. He went off to bark orders at whoever was overseeing the supplies and Kek prowled around the edges of the camp, irritated.

He and Malik only spoke during early morning or dusk, never daytime. Conversations with a possibly-imaginary voice in his head were best saved for the edges of the day, and the possibly-imaginary voice in his head apparently held the same opinion. 

Which meant no Malik and no Bakura, and Kek was left restless for hours with nothing to do. Sparring with some of the others could be fun, but Bakura wouldn’t like it if Kek sparked a riot by getting too enthusiastic with his strikes. Maybe he should take a catnap.

To amuse himself, he dug through a stash of treasure he’d stumbled upon the day before. The camp had been set up in the shelter provided by a dozen shacks built in a half circle, jutting out of the sand like broken teeth. Kek had been digging around for extra wood when he’d uncovered the stash. There was a lot hidden in these old hideouts; some of it might’ve been stolen before he and Bakura had even been born.

He absently ran a finger around the rim of a pretty glass bowl just to hear the clear _squeak_. When…

When _had_ he been born, anyway? Didn’t he remember?

Kek frowned. He had a foggy, broken memory of torchlight and stone, but that was all. How old was he? 

The only real way he could guess would be to compare himself to the others, their height, the extent of the calluses on their hands. Bakura could help talk it through with him, if Kek asked, but he wouldn’t _know_.

It wasn’t uncommon for…for former slaves like him. Not knowing their age, their parents, their birthplace. But...

But it bothered him, like few things did.

He looked at the glass in his hands, gone a little cloudy with age, and had the urge to clutch to his chest hard enough to leave marks. 

Instead, he set it carefully back among the forgotten treasures, covered the hole, and left to go spar.


End file.
